Like the yellow, pink, and blue irises that had been transplanted from house to house over the years, the stories of poet Ted Kooser's family had been handed down until, as his mother lay ill and dying, he felt an urgency to write them down. With a poet's eye for detail, Kooser captures the beauty of the landscape and the vibrancy of his mother's Iowa family, the Mosers, in precise, evocative language. The center of the family's love is Kooser's uncle,...

"Four decades of poetry--and a generous selection of new work--make up this collection by Pulitzer Prize winner Ted Kooser. Firmly rooted in the landscapes of the Midwest, Kooser's poetry succeeds in finding the emotional resonances within the ordinary. Kooser's language of quiet intensity trains itself on the intricacies of human relationships, as well as the animals and objects that make up our days. As Poetry magazine said of his work, 'Kooser...

Contains advice from United States poet laureate Ted Kooser on the art of writing poetry with insights and tools to help writing, revising, and practicing. Here are tools and insights, the instructions that poets--aspiring or practicing--can use to hone their craft, perhaps into art.